ISL 2020 final, ATK vs Chennaiyin, as it happened: Hernandez’s brace helps ATK secure third title

9.55 pm: That’s it from tonight, folks. Thanks for tuning in. Goodbye!

9.50 pm, Full list of honours:

Player of the season - Hugo Boumous (FC Goa)

Emerging player of the season - Sumit Rathi (ATK)

Golden boot - Nerijus Valskis (Chennaiyin FC)

Golden Glove - Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Bengaluru FC)

9.37 pm, ATK 3-1 Chennaiyin FC: “Goals change games and ATK benefited from that. We had chance after chance and when you don’t take them, you get the sucker punch. That is what happened to us,” says Coyle.

9.30 pm, ATK 3-1 Chennaiyin FC: “We are feeling very bad as we lot of chances to score but couldn’t make it count. Arindam made some brilliant saves. We had a good results in the last three months and this is the reward. We deserved to be here and we’ll try next time again,” says Chennaiyin FC captain Goian.

9.23 pm, ATK 3-1 Chennaiyin FC: “Unbelievable! The boys deserved it. Fortunately, I couldn’t be part of the game but it feels great to win the title,” says Roy Krishna.

9.23 pm, ATK 3-1 Chennaiyin FC: PEEP! The full-time whistle blows and it is ATK who make their way into the history books with a third title. Owen Coyle’s side were the better team throughout ninety minutes but poor finishing in the final third came to haunt them. Habas becomes the first manager in the history of the ISL to clinch two titles.

9.23 pm, ATK 3-1 Chennaiyin FC: GAME OVER! Chennaiyin FC’s defense is caught napping again as Halder pings a lovely ball for Hernandez in the box who beats two defenders before scoring his second goal.

9.19 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: ATK are absorbing all the pressure as Chennaiyin FC continue to dominate. There will be four minutes of added time.

9.16 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: YELLOW CARD! Sabia takes one for the team after Garcia breaks free on the counter-attack.

9.13 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: SUBSTITUTION! Sosa is replaced by Mongil as ATK make their final change. Can Habas’ men hold on to their lead for a third title?

9.09 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: ALMOST! Crivellaro picks Valskis in the box who sneaks in between Rathi and Johnson but fails to get his header on target. The Lithuanian is frustrated.

9.05 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: BIG SCARE! A long ball is played to Garcia but Kaith anticipates danger well and comes out of his line to keep it clear.

9.05 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: SUBSTITUTION! Schembri, who is playing his final game, is replaced by Firtulescu.

9.02 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: THAT WOULD’VE PUT THE GAME TO BED! Soosairaj cuts inside from the left before laying a pass for an onrushing Sosa who fires his shot over the bar.

8.59 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: CHANCE! Sabia plays a cross from the right and picks out Valskis in the box whose header is kept away by Arindam.

8.58 pm, ATK 2-1 Chennaiyin FC: WONDER GOAL! Thapa picks up a loose ball and plays it to Valskis in the box. The Lithuanian shrugs off Kotal before firing a rocket into the top corner. Game on.

8.56 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: SUBSTITUTION! Michael Regin comes off for Pranoy Halder.

8.54 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: Owen Coyle’s side continue to probe the opposition box but are finding it tough to penetrate with ATK foring them to push the ball towards the channels.

8.52 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: Prabir is on his bike as ATK launch another counter-attack and the wing-back forces a fine save from Kaith.

8.49 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: YELLOW CARD! Regin makes a reckless foul on former Chennai City teammate Vanspaul to pick up a booking.

8.45 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: Owen Coyle’s side have swarmed into ATK’s half but the Kolkata side are keeping things tight at the back.

8.42 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: Chhangte picks up a loose ball outside the box but drills his shot wide. Chennaiyin FC need to do better in the final third.

8.40 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: YELLOW CARD! Sosa is booked for pulling Crivellaro’s shirt.

8.36 pm, ATK 2-0 Chennaiyin FC: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! ATK double their tally as Edu Garcia gets on the scoresheet. Chennaiyin FC are caught off guard after playing a high line and Williams finds the Spaniard in the box who tucks his shot into the far corner with ease. Pressure mounting on the Super Machans.

8.36 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: Crivellaro is brought down outside the box after making contact with Hernandez but the referee isn’t interested.

8.30 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: It has been a cagey contest so far although ATK have the lead.

8.20 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: The whistle blows at half-time as ATK head into the break with the narrow lead. Owen Coyle’s side have had plenty of opportunities to score the equaliser but the finishing has been missing. As things stands, Javi Hernandez’s goal remains the difference between the two sides.

8.16 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: There will be three minutes of added time before the first-half ends.

8.15 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: CLOSE! Chhangte fires a teasing cross from the left but Schembri’s header goes wide.

8.09 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: SUBSTITUTION AND A HUGE BLOW FOR ATK! Krishna is in tears and has to come off after pulling his hamstring. The Fijian can’t continue as Armando Sosa Pena takes his place.

8.06 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: Habas’ side have been sloppy in possession as Chennaiyin FC continue to launch one attack after another.

7.59 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: ANOTHER BIG SAVE! Crivellaro whips a dangerous cross from a corner and Schembri leaps high but his header is palmed away by Arindam.

7.59 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: Arindam is called into action as he makes a couple of saves to deny Valskis.

7.55 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: CLEARED OFF THE LINE! Renthlei makes a vital clearance to deny ATK another goal. Pressure on Coyle’s side.

7.52 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: SUBSTITUTION. Coyle is forced to make an early change after Germanpreet suffers a knock. Vanspaul comes on to replace him.

7.50 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: Chennaiyin break through on the counter-attack and Crivellaro has the ball but Prabir Das makes a neat tackle.

7.45 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: Owen Coyle’s side are enjoying possession as expected but ATK have continued to to attack despite scoring early.

7.40 pm, ATK 1-0 Chennaiyin FC: GOOOOAAAAL! Chennaiyin FC’s defense is caught napping as Krishna finds Hernandez in the box who scores on the volley after a delightful finish. Early advantage for the Kolkata side. What a time for the Spaniard to score his first goal of the season.

7.38 pm, ATK 0-0 Chennaiyin FC: YELLOW CARD! Germanpreet Singh receives the first booking of the evening after fouling Williams outside the box.

7.35 pm, ATK 0-0 Chennaiyin FC: HOW DID HE MISS FROM THERE? Valskis receives the ball in the box and takes his time but only manages to rattle the woodwork. What a chance.

7.32 pm, ATK 0-0 Chennaiyin FC: Chennaiyin waste no time in launching a quick counter attack inside 40 seconds but Schembri’s lob from inside the box is cleared off the line by Kotal.

7.30 pm, ATK 0-0 Chennaiyin FC: 3,2,1..off we go at the Fatorda stadium.

7.20 pm: National anthems done, it’s time for action!

7:09 pm: Comparing the two attacks

The attacking forces of the two teams are so evenly matches

7:05 pm: Interesting!

The team that has beaten FC Goa in the semi-finals in the past five season has never lost an ISL Final Advantage Chennaiyin already?

6:52 pm: Even historically, there’s a not a lot between the two teams

6:45 pm: Chennaiyin coach Owen Coyle discusses team mentality ahead of the final

6:38 pm: ATK coach Antonio Habas says his team needs no extra motivation for the final

6:38 pm: Here are the two teams

ATK XI: Arindam Bhattacharja (GK), Sumit Rathi, John Johnson, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Regin Michael, Javier Hernandez, Michael Soosairaj, Edu Garcia, David Williams, Roy Krishna (C).

Subs: Dheeraj Singh (GK), Victor Mongil, Armando Sosa Pena, Pronay Halder, Balwant Singh, Jobby Justin, Jayesh Rane.

Chennaiyin XI: Vishal Kaith (GK), Eli Sabia, Lucian Goian (C), Jerry Lalrinzuala, Laldinliana Renthlei, Germanpreet Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Anirudh Thapa, Rafael Crivellaro, Nerijus Valskis, Andre Schembri,

Subs: Karanjit Singh (GK), Masih Saighani, Deepak Tangri, Dragos Firtulescu, Edwin Vanspaul, Thoi Singh, Rahim Ali.

6:32 pm: TEAM NEWS!

No Edwin Vanspaul for Chennaiyin FC as Owen Coyle goes with the more defensive option of Germanpreet Singh. ATK are unchanged from their last game

6:30 pm: It’s all down to this, the big final!

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of the 2019-20 ISL final between Chennaiyin FC and ATK from Goa’s Fatorda stadium. With the two two-time winners colliding for the title which team will create history and become the first team to win the ISL for the third time.

Follow this blog for all updates

Season six of the Hero Indian Super League is all set to culminate with a showdown between ATK and Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.

ATK and Chennaiyin have both won the ISL twice already and are looking to become the first side to win it three times.

The two teams were brilliant in the play-offs with Chennaiyin FC getting the better of FC Goa in a thrilling two-legged tie that finished 6-5, while ATK produced a second leg turnaround to get the better of Bengaluru FC 3-2 on aggregate.

This is the first time that these two clubs are meeting each other in the final. Interestingly, neither club has lost an ISL final - a run that will end for one of them on Saturday.

While ATK have been one of the most consistent sides this season, Chennaiyin were left to produce a miracle to reach this stage after Owen Coyle took charge of them at the start of December. In the six matches before his arrival, Chennaiyin had won only one match and scored just four goals. Since he landed here, the former champions went on to win eight matches, a tally bettered only by FC Goa.

Now Coyle is one win away from completing a miracle. Key to this turnaround has been the form of Chennaiyin’s attack that has produced goals whenever necessary. Nerijus Valskis has 14 goals to his name and is fighting for the top scorer award, while Rafael Crivellaro is the creative engine of the team. The partnership between the two has blossomed under Coyle. Winger Lallianzuala Chhangte has also been brilliant and has scored in their last three games, becoming the first Indian to score in both the legs of a play-off tie.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for ATK, for the quality of players they have. We will stick to our style because we believe that we can win games with it. We are still under pressure as we go into the final and we want to be because that’s when we are at our best. When this team is focused and concentrated, that’s when our quality kicks in,” said Coyle.

ATK, on the other hand, rely on Roy Krishna and David Williams’ contributions in attack. Krishna, with 15 goals this season, is also firmly in the race for the Golden Boot. But equally dangerous is Williams who scored a brace against Bengaluru in the play-off. While the likes of Edu Garcia and Javier Hernandez provide supply from the middle, wing-back Prabir Das is a crucial attacking outlet for the Kolkata-based side.

“We have to enjoy the final and try to win it. But we have to respect the opponent. We have 90 minutes and some more to compete for a win. There is only one final. Maybe some player doesn’t have the opportunity to play another final in his career. But we need one heart and the whole mind for the final,” said ATK coach Antonio Habas who led ATK to the title back in 2014.

Given the strength both sides have in attack and their tendency to chase a game to the death, one can expect a tightly-fought contest. In fact, both teams have scored 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of the match and there could be twists in the tale late on.

In the league stages, ATK defeated Chennaiyin in Chennai before Coyle’s side returned the favour in Kolkata. But now what matters is who will emerge triumphant in Goa.